Feeling an indescribable sense of floating, the foot she stepped out with caught the ground.
Thanks to her innate athletic ability, she endured it after moving her feet just a few steps.
「Oh, young lady. You are quite used to the Gate, aren’t you? Are you a traveler?」
「No. This is my first time using a Gate.」
「Heh～. Not falling on your first try is quite impressive.」
Prompted by the gaze of the middle-aged man who seemed to be a gatekeeper, the girl moved lightly from where she was standing.
Then, toes emerged from the gate, which held a black darkness within, and a young man who looked like a merchant tumbled out onto the ground.
「See. That is the correct behavior for someone not used to the Gate.」
「Ara… should I have fallen as well?」
「Indeed. If you had, at least I could have helped you up and offered my hand. In a place like this, contact with women is limited to such things, which is lonely.」
「You are quite skilled.」
Ignoring the girl who chuckled softly, the gatekeeper helped the merchant up and signaled to his companions.
As the waiting mages began their chant, the inside of the gate, which had been filled with black darkness, changed into a dazzling light.
「Now. Your destination is the West Gate. Hurry and enter.」
Urged by the gatekeeper, the group that had been waiting was sucked into the gate.
「So, young lady. Do you still have some business?」
「Yes. Actually… I am somewhat troubled.」
「Troubled?」
The gatekeeper, who had sent the customers into the gate, looked at the girl speaking to him again.
She looked very young. She seemed to be around the age of coming of age, or just before. Her long black hair was tied back and flowed down her back. Her eyes were also black, and from these features, one could deduce she was from the southwestern part of the continent.
She was wearing strange clothes made of thin fabric overall, and on her feet were shoes made of grass or something similar.
「Yes. …Where should I head?」
「Hah?」
The gatekeeper was dumbfounded by the unexpected words.
Many customers came through this gate, which connected various parts of the continent. Among them were people with strong personalities, but even so, there was no one who paid a large sum of money to use the gate without knowing their destination.
The girl realized her words were insufficient and hurriedly began to add more.
「I understand the purpose of this outing. No, I have decided on it. But I do not know where the person I wish to meet is located… If you would be so kind, I would appreciate it if you could tell me.」
「Hah… Well, I somewhat understand. However, since my life is basically here, I cannot guarantee that I know the person you are looking for, you know?」
It was a natural answer. But the girl held a certain core belief that the other party would know.
「The person I am looking for is the Dragonslayer who has made a name for herself in the east of the continent.」
「Dragon…」
「Yes. I have come because I sincerely wish to spar with her once.」
To the girl who puffed out her slight chest… the gatekeeper let out a deep sigh.
There were such misunderstandings. A few times a year, braggarts would come and head to the small Kingdom of Univance, located in the southeastern part of the continent.
「So, young lady, you want to fight that white Dragonslayer?」
「White? I do not know if that is correct, but from what I heard, she is a very terrifying large woman who tears dragons apart and throws them, tears them apart and throws them again, and finally squeezes them to drink their living blood dry.」
The girl said this while tilting her head slightly.
「Well, rumors always grow tails and fins.」
As far as the gatekeeper knew, he had never heard such crazy stories about that country’s Dragonslayer.
However, she did beat other dragons with the tail of a captured dragon, dyeing her whole body the color of blood…
「It might not be entirely wrong.」
「Something wrong?」
「No. It’s just my side of the story.」
But thanks to that, the situation became clear. It became clear, but… a slightly disappointing situation had arisen.
「The country you should head to is a small nation called the Kingdom of Univance, in that direction from here. That country has a Dragonslayer who is called the strongest in this area.」
「Is that true?」
「Yes. However, the caravan to Univance left this morning… The next one to come here will be in three days.」
「…In other words?」
To the girl who tilted her head cutely and asked, the gatekeeper scratched his head with an embarrassed expression.
「You have no choice but to wait at the inn over there for about three days.」
「Is that so.」
Saying this, the girl picked up the luggage she had placed on the ground and walked briskly toward the gatekeeper.
「I am very grateful for your valuable information. …This is a small token of my appreciation.」
「Oh!」
Placing her hand lightly on the gatekeeper’s shoulder and stretching, the girl brought her lips to a distance where they almost touched his cheek.
「Kya～. I should have taken one more step forward.」
「If you did, I would take one step back.」
「Ahaha. You are a fun young lady.」
The gatekeeper laughed happily at the slight encounter in such a remote place with no entertainment.
「Then I will be on my way.」
「Ah. …Wait, young lady!」
「Yes?」
The girl, who had been walking away from the gatekeeper, stopped when called.
The direction she was heading was not the inn, but a path leading through the trees.
「Not that way. The inn is this way.」
「But the Dragonslayer is over there, isn’t she?」
「Ah. That is true, but…」
For some reason, their conversation wasn’t clicking. Worried about the girl, the gatekeeper stated the obvious.
「For a woman to travel the road alone is like saying, 『Please eat me, dragons.』」
「…Ah. Is that what you mean.」
Chuckling, the girl tapped a long stick-like object, which was part of her luggage.
「It is fine. I have this.」
「What is that stick supposed to be?」
「Yes. This is called a 『sword』.」
Grasping it and pulling out the contents, a thin, slender platinum blade exposed itself.
「It is my family’s heirloom.」
「And?」
「…Anything that comes toward me with this—」
Then, the girl scanned her surroundings and saw a snake-shaped dragon appear atop the trees.
Before the gatekeeper, who had simultaneously discovered the dragon, could make a fuss, the girl silently swung the sword in her hand.
The dragon in the air was split in two and fell to the ground.
「I cut things like this, so please rest assured.」
Smiling softly… the girl sheathed her sword.
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